Dishwasher appliances generally include a tub that defines a wash chamber. Rack assemblies can be mounted within the wash chamber of the tub for receipt of articles for washing. Multiple spray assemblies can be positioned within the wash chamber for applying or directing wash fluid towards articles disposed within the rack assemblies in order to clean such articles. Dishwasher appliances are also typically equipped with at least one pump for circulating fluid through the multiple spray assemblies. In addition, diverter water valve devices may be used to control the flow of fluid received from the pump.
Under certain conditions, dishwasher appliances are prone to flooding over a tub lip of the tub. For instance, dishwasher appliances may be prone to flooding over the tub lip during an out-of-level condition, a water valve failure, and/or a drain pump failure. When one or more of such conditions occur, the water level can rise above the designed fill level and spill over the tub lip and onto the floor. This may be detrimental to consumers' homes.
Certain dishwasher appliances include features for detecting tub overfills or flood events. For example, some conventional dishwasher appliances include float sensors. To detect a flood event, the float sensor floats on top of the water in the tub, and if the float sensors floats upward to a certain height, the float sensor triggers a response indicating a flood event. One challenge with float sensors is that they are typically located proximate the sump area of the tub, and accordingly, such float sensors affect the water flow through the sump area during wash and drain cycles. This may decrease the efficiency and performance of the dishwasher appliance during normal operating conditions. Moreover, such float sensors can take up a relatively large amount of space and can be expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, an improved flood detection sensor for a dishwasher appliance that addresses one or more of the challenge noted above would be useful.